Method of assembling a golf car

ABSTRACT

A method of assembling either an electric motor powered car or an internal combustion engine powered car along a single assembly line. The method comprises providing a car chassis having a general block shaped drive system receiving area and, selecting a drive system from a group consisting of an electric motor drive system and an internal combustion engine drive system. The method then comprises connecting the selected drive system to the chassis in the drive system receiving area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to automobiles and, more particularly, toassembly of automobiles.

2. Prior Art

U.S. Design Pat. Nos. Des. 255,558 and 320,580 disclose exterior designsof two types of golf cars. Golf cars have generally been designed andbuilt to be powered by either an internal combustion engine or anelectric motor. The internal combustion engine powered cars aresubstantially different from the electric powered cars, includingdifferences as basic as their chassis, because of the fundamentaldifferences in the size, shape, and requirements between internalcombustion engines and electric motors. In order to conserve materialsand because of other reasons, in the past, internal combustion enginepowered golf cars and electrical powered golf cars were designed andmanufactured to their own specific, separate and different designspecification. Virtually no major components, except perhaps for tiresand exterior body parts, were interchangeable between electric andinternal combustion engine powered cars during the initial assemblyprocess.

It is the objective of the present invention to provide a new andimproved method of assembling cars.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one method of the invention, a method of assembling agolf car is provided comprising steps of providing a golf car chassishaving a general block shaped drive system receiving area; selecting atype of drive system from a group of drive system types consisting of anelectric motor drive system and an internal combustion engine drivesystem; and connecting the selected type of drive system to the chassisin the drive system receiving area.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, asteering system for a car is provided comprising a rack and pinionhousing, a steering shaft assembly, a driven rack assembly, and an idlerlever. The rack and pinion housing has a unitary idler lever mount. Thesteering shaft assembly is connected to the housing and has a piniongear located in the housing. The driven rack assembly is operablyconnected to the pinion gear and extends out of the housing. The idlerlever is pivotally mounted to the housing at the idler lever mount and,has the driven rack assembly attached thereto.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a rackand pinion steering system for a car is provided having a rack andpinion housing, a rack and pinion assembly with a driven rack connectedto a tie rod lever, the improvement comprising the rack and pinionhousing having the idler lever directly pivotally mounted thereto.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an airintake system for an internal combustion engine is provided comprising ahousing and an air filter. The housing has an air inlet, an air outletand an air conduiting path therebetween. The air conduiting pathincludes an air filter receiving area and means for changing air flowdirection and velocity at least four times each along the path. The airfilter is located in the air filter receiving area.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an airfilter for an internal combustion engine is provided comprising filterelement means, a substantially flat support, and a seal. Thesubstantially flat support is connected to one side of the filterelement means and has apertures therethrough to allow air to passthrough the support. The seal is connected to a perimeter of the flatsupport.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and other features of the invention are explainedin the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golf car incorporating features of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a chassis, engine, and rearaxle assembly for an internal combustion engine powered car;

FIG. 2A is a partial perspective view of the chassis shown in FIG. 2with a seat frame;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the chassis as shown in FIG. 2with a set of batteries, an electric motor, and a rear axle assembly ofan electric powered car;

FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of part of the chassis shown inFIG. 3 showing connection of the batteries to the chassis by a batterysupport structure;

FIG. 3B is an exploded perspective view of the batteries shown in FIG.3A and the bottom of the battery support structure;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the engine assembly shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4B is an exploded perspective view of a mount of leaf springs andshock absorber to the rear axle assembly shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an elevational side view of the front engine mount rear enginemount shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the front load bearing engine tie memberand the rear load bearing engine tie member shown in FIGS. 4A and 5;

FIG. 6A is a cross sectional view of an isolator of the front enginemount shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an accelerator pedal assemblyfor the internal combustion engine powered car;

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of an accelerator pedal assembly,switches, speed controller, and batteries for a speed control system ofthe electric powered car;

FIG. 8A is a top plan view of a portion of the accelerator pedalassembly shown in FIG. 8 at a first position;

FIG. 8B is a plan top view of the portion of the accelerator pedalassembly shown in FIG. 8A with the actuator rod at a home position;

FIG. 9A is a perspective view with a partially exploded section of afront portion of the steering system of the car shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the rack and pinion assembly of thesteering system used in the car shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9C is an exploded perspective view of the rack and pinion assemblyshown in FIG. 9B;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of an assembly method used to assembly carsaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 11A is an exploded perspective view of the air filter assembly usedwith the internal combustion engine shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the air filter assembly shown inFIG. 11A;

FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view of the air filter assembly takenalong line C--C in FIG. 11B; and

FIG. 11D is a partial perspective view of the air filter used in the airfilter assembly shown in FIG. 11A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of a golf car 10incorporating features of the present invention. Although the presentinvention will be described with reference to a golf car, it should beunderstood that features of the present invention can be embodied inother types of cars and automobiles including other types of turfvehicles. Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, the car 10 generallycomprises (among other things) a chassis 12, a drive system, body parts18, tires 20, brakes (not shown), and a steering system 22. The car 10can have either an internal combustion engine drive system or anelectric powered drive system. FIG. 2 shows the chassis 12 and internalcombustion engine 14 for the internal combustion engine powered car. Asused herein, the term "internal combustion engine" is intended toinclude any suitable type internal combustion engine powered by anysuitable type of fuel, such as gasoline, natural gas, hydrogen, etc.FIG. 3 shows the chassis 12 and electric motor 16 for the electricpowered car. The electric motor 16 can be powered by any suitable typeof power source, such as batteries, solar panels, etc.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 2, 4A, 5 and 6, the mounting of theinternal combustion engine drive system to the chassis 12 will bedescribed. The engine 14, in the embodiment shown, is a four cycleengine with an engine block 24. However, any suitable type of enginecould be used. The engine 14 has a drive clutch assembly 26 connected toan output shaft of the engine 14, an air filter assembly 28, a muffler30, and an electric starter/generator 32. A belt 33 connects thestarter/generator 32 to the drive clutch assembly 26. Another belt (notshown) connects the drive clutch assembly 26 to a driven clutch assembly34 on the rear axle assembly 36. This type of belt transmission is wellknown, as shown by U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,478, and has been used in golfcars for many years.

The car also comprises an engine mounting system for mounting the engine14 to the chassis 12. As seen in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the engine mountingsystem generally comprises two sets of leaf springs 38 (only one ofwhich is shown), shock absorbers 136 (only one of which is shown), afront engine mount 40, and a rear engine mount 42. As seen in FIG. 5,the front mount 40 includes a single first load bearing tie member orframe member 44, a pair of isolators 46, 47, a C-shaped member 48, and abolt 50. The rear engine mount 42 generally includes a single secondload bearing tie member or frame member 52, and two U-shaped bolts 54(see FIG. 4A). The members 44 and 52 are referred to as tie membersherein because they function as a link that connect or hold togetherparts of the car 10 as further understood below.

Referring primarily to FIGS. 4A, 5 and 6, the first tie member 44 ispreferably comprised of cast metal with a first end 56 and an oppositesecond end 58. The starter/generator 32 is directly attached on top ofthe first tie member 44. The first end 56 has a bottom shelf 60 and issuitably sized and shaped to be fixedly mounted to a front end of theengine block 24. Bolts (not shown) are used to attach the first tiemember 44 directly to the engine block 24. The second end 58 has a flatsection 62 with an enlarged hole 64 therethrough. The isolators 46, 47,in the embodiment shown, are identical to each other. As shown in FIG.6A, the isolator 46 generally comprises a metal ring 66 encased with abody 68 made of resilient elastomeric material. The isolator 46 has afirst section 70 that is positioned into the enlarged hole 64. A ledge72 sits on the surface of the flat section 62. Hole 74 is provided toallow the bolt 50 to pass through the isolator 46. The two isolators 46,47 are positioned on opposite sides of the flat section 62 with theirfirst sections 70 in the hole 64. The C-shaped member 48 is connected toa transverse section 76 of the chassis 12 (see FIG. 2) by bolting thecenter span 78 of the member 48 to the transverse section 76. Theisolators 46, 47 and flat section 62 of the first tie member 44 arepositioned into the C-shaped member 48 between its opposing top andbottom ends 80, 81. The bolt 50 is passed through holes in the ends 80,81, through the holes 74 in the isolators 46, 47, and through hole 64 inthe first tie member 44. A nut 82 is attached to the bolt 50 andtightened. This arrangement allows the first tie member 44 to pivot inthree orthogonal axes relative to the transverse section 76 of thechassis 12 by elastic deformation of the isolators. However, the bolt 50insures that the first tie member 44 will not detach from the transversesection 76. In alternate embodiments, other types of members orconnections could be provided.

The second tie member 52 is also preferably comprised of cast metal. Thesecond tie member 52 has a first end 84 and an opposite second end withtwo spaced apart second end portions 86, 87. The first end 84 has abottom shelf 88 and is suitably sized and shaped to be connected to arear end of the engine block 24. Holes 90 are provided to accommodatebolts (not shown) to directly rigidly attach the first end 84 to therear of the engine block 24. The second tie member 52 has a generalY-shape with two leg sections 92, 93 extending from the first end 84 tothe two spaced apart second end portions 86, 87. The second end portions86, 87 each comprise a seat 94, 95 and two bolt holes 96. The second endportion 87 also has a locator hole 98 in the seat 95. The seats 94, 95are suitably sized and shaped to receive axle tubes 100 of the rear axleassembly 36 (see FIGS. 2 and 6). One of the axle tubes 100 has a locatorsection 102 that is positioned into the locator hole 98. The U-shapedbolts 54 (see FIG. 4A) are attached to the second end portions 86, 87,passing through holes 96, by nuts 104. The axle tubes 100 of the rearaxle assembly 36 are, therefor, fixedly and stationarily connected tothe second tie member 52 by means of the interlocking nature of thelocator section 102 in hole 98 and capturing of the tubes 100 in theseats 94, 95 by the U-shaped bolts 54. In alternate embodiments, othertypes of members or connections could be provided. In a preferredembodiment, a bottom plate (not shown) is connected to the bottom of themembers 44, 52 under the engine 14 to prevent debris from contacting theengine.

As seen in FIG. 2, the rear axle assembly 36 includes a gear box 106having suitable gears to provide for forward, neutral and reverse drive,two axle sections 108 extending from opposite sides of the gear box 106,and hub and brake assemblies 110 at opposite ends of the axle sections108. The axle tubes 100 are part of the axle sections 108 and areconnected to the housing of the gear box 106. The driven clutch assembly34 is operably connected to gears in the gear box 106. The gears in thegear box 106 are operably connected to the axle inside the tubes 100.The axle is operably connected to the hubs in the hub and brakeassemblies 110. The axle tubes 100 also includes an upwardly extendingpin section 112 (see FIG. 4B) located proximate to the hub and brakeassemblies 110.

Referring particularly to FIG. 4B, the pin sections 112 are used tolocate the rear axle assembly 36 relative to the leaf springs 38.Isolators 114 are mounted on the tubes 100 at the pin sections 112. Theisolators are comprised of elastic resilient material such as a polymeror rubber. The two mountings of the rear axle assembly 36 to the springs38 each comprise an isolator 114, a plate 116, a connecting cover 118,two U-shaped bolts 122, and four nuts 120 (only one of which is shown).The connecting cover 118 fits over the top of the isolator 114. Theplate 116 is located under the isolator. The springs 38 are locatedunder the plate 116. The U-shaped bolts 122 are located under thesprings 38, extend up along the sides of the springs, through holes 124in the plate 116, through holes 126 in the connecting cover 118, andhave the nuts 120 connected to their ends. This assembly connects therear axle assembly 36 to the springs 38, but also allows the isolator114 to reduce transmission of vibrations between the springs 38 and rearaxle assembly 36 and, provides freedom of motion for the rear axleassembly 36. The plate 116 has a hole 130 to accommodate bolt 132 on thesprings 38, and a hole 134 for attaching the bottom of a shock absorber136 to the plate 116. The top of the shock absorber is connected to thechassis 12. The ends of the leaf springs 38 are also connected to thechassis 12 as is generally known. In alternate embodiments, other typesof members or connections could be provided.

The engine mounting system described above has many advantages overprior mounting systems. A three point pivotable mounting of the engine14 to the chassis 12 is provided. Although the advantages of a threepoint pivotable mount are well know, the system described above improvesthis type of mounting. First, the engine 14 is fixedly connected to therear axle assembly 36 by means of a single load bearing member; thesecond tie member 52. Because the second tie member 52 is a singlemember, preferably made of cast metal, it is easy to mass produce withvery good quality and consistency. This facilitates connection of theengine 14 to the rear axle assembly 36. Second, because the first tiemember 44 is a single member, preferably made of cast metal, it is alsoeasy to mass produce with very good quality, accuracy and consistency.Third, because the first and second tie members 44 and 52 are directlyrigidly attached to the engine block 24, they form a rigid unitaryassembly. The engine block functions as a structural member to rigidlyconnect the first and second tie members 44, 52 to each other. Becausethe second tie member 52 is directly rigidly attached to the rear axleassembly 36, an engine assembly consisting of the engine 14, rear axleassembly 36, and two tie members 44, 52 can be preassembled as a rigidunitary assembly and, inserted and connected to the chassis 12 as amodular unit. Such a modular assembly insures consistent quality of suchfeatures as the proper alignment and positioning between the drive anddriven clutch assemblies 26, 34, and weight distribution relative to thechassis 12. This is accomplished with a significantly easier and lesstime consuming assembly process of assembling the engine assembly due tothe reduced number of parts involved and simpler connection of thoseparts to each other without any adjustment, shimming or selectiveassembly.

Referring to FIG. 2A, for the internal combustion engine powered car,the car includes a seat frame 330 that is connected to the chassis 12over the drive system receiving area 304. The seat frame 330 includestwo front members 332, 333 attached to the transverse section 76, and arear section 334 attached to the transverse section 166. The seat 19(see FIG. 1) is removably supported by the seat frame 330. Area 336receives a fuel tank 338 (see FIG. 2) and area 340 receives a battery(not shown) used to start and operate the engine 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 11A-11D the air filter assembly 28 with removableair filter 404 is shown. The assembly 28 includes an air filter housing400, a cover 402, the air filter 404, and an inlet cover 406. Thehousing 400 and covers 402 and 406 are all preferably made of a moldedpolymer or plastic material. The housing 400 has an inlet section 408that has the inlet cover 406 attached to it to form an inlet 410 andfirst area 412. The housing 400 also has a second area 414 and a thirdarea 416. The inlet 410 forms a first aperture for the assembly 28. Awall 418 between the first and second areas 412, 414 has a secondaperture 420. The housing 400 has a third aperture 422 that is attachedto the carburetor of the engine 14. A wall 424 separates the second area414 from the third area 416. The housing 400 has a flange 426 around itsperimeter, receiving slots 428 at its bottom, and projections 430 at itstop.

The air filter 404 has a filter element 432, a support 434, and a seal436. The filter element 432 can be made of any suitable material, suchas paper. In the embodiment shown, the element 432 has a generalrectangular box or block shape. The support 434 is comprised of asubstantially flat single screen member. A screen member is used toprovide structural rigidity for the air filter, but nonetheless allowair to substantially freely pass through the support 434. The seal 436is comprised of an elastomeric material with a general rectangular shapeand a center section 438. The seal 436 is molded onto the support 434.More specifically, the seal 436 is molded onto the perimeter of thesupport and across the support 434 at the center section 438. At thesame time, or at least substantially the same time, the seal is moldedonto the perimeter of the filter element 432 at one side that isadjacent to the support 434. Thus, the seal 436 connects the filterelement 432 to the support 434. In the configuration shown, the airfilter 404 has a first section 440 comprised of the entire filterelement, a first portion of the flat support, and a first portion of theseal. The air filter 404 has a second section 442 comprised of aremaining second portion of the flat support and a second portion of theseal. The remaining third portion of the seal at center section 438 islocated at the junction between the first and second sections 440, 442.

The cover 402 has three projections 444 at its base, three snap latches446 functionally connected to six latch hooks 445 at the top of thecover 402, and an intermediate wall 448. The three projections 444 arelocated in receiving slots 428 in the housing 400. The three snaplatches 446 are snap lock connected to the three projections 430 at thetop of the housing 400. A flanged lip 450 surrounds the outer perimeterof the cover 402. The intermediate wall 448 establishes a fourth area452 and a fifth area 454 and, has a fourth aperture 456. The snaplatches 446 can be released to remove the cover 402 from the housing 400for replacement of the air filter 404.

As seen best in FIGS. 11B and 11C, the seal 436 is compressivelysandwiched between the housing 400 and cover 402 between flange 426 andflanged lip 450 at the seal's perimeter and, between the wall 424 andwall 448 at center section 438. The filter element 432 is located in thesecond area 414. The assembly 28 provides a unique air flow path which,through multiple changes in air flow direction and velocity throughapertures helps to control harmonic waves. Air enters the assembly 28 asshown by arrow E through the aperture of the inlet 410 and into thelarger first area 412. The air has to change direction as indicated byarrow F in order to pass through the second aperture 420 as indicated byarrow G. Then, when the air enters second area 414 it has to changedirection again to pass through the filter element 432 as indicated byarrow H. After the air passes through the filter element 432 and supportscreen 434 it enters the fourth area 452 and changes direction again asindicated by arrow I. The air passes through aperture 456 as indicatedby arrow J. The air enters the fifth area 454 and changes directionagain as indicated by arrow K. The air passes through the support screen434 into third area 416. The air then exits the assembly 28 through thethird aperture 422 as indicated by arrow L into the carburetor inlet.The combination of the four directional changes F, H, I, K, the velocitychanges caused by passage of the air through narrowed passages 410, 420,456, 422 and filter element 432, and the baffling effect of the walls448, 418 all combine to control harmonic waves to a non-audible,non-influencing frequency.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the electric powered car has the same chassis12 as the internal combustion engine powered car. The electric motordrive system includes the electric motor 16, a set of batteries 138, aspeed controller 140, and a rear axle assembly 142. The electric motor16 is directly operably attached to the rear axle assembly 142 at a gearbox 144. The rear axle assembly 142 is connected to the chassis by shockabsorbers and leaf springs similar to the rear axle assembly 36 of theinternal combustion engine powered car. Referring also to FIG. 8, theelectric motor 16 is electrically connected to the speed controller 140by electrical cable 146. Electrical cable 148 electrically connects thebatteries 138 to the speed controller 140. Electrical cable 150electrically connects the speed controller 140 to an accelerator pedalassembly 152, an ignition switch 154, and a forward/neutral/reverseswitch 156. The batteries 138 are preferably 6 volt deep cyclebatteries. Electricity from the batteries 138 is delivered to the speedcontroller 140 by cable 148. The speed controller 140 then delivers theelectricity, or a portion of the electricity, to the electric motor 16based upon position of the accelerator pedal assembly 152 and twoswitches 154,156.

Referring also to FIGS. 3A and 3B, in the embodiment shown, sixbatteries 138 are provided. However, in alternate embodiments, anysuitable number or type of batteries could be provided. The batteries138 are mounted to the chassis 12 by a battery support structure 158.The battery support structure 158 has a bottom section 160 that isdirectly attached to the chassis 12. Front sections 162 are attached tothe transverse section 76 of the chassis, and rear sections 164 areattached to the second transverse section 166 of the chassis. The bottomsection 160 forms a platform that the batteries 138 sit upon. A toppositioner 168 is positioned on top of and between the batteries.Connecting rods 170 are used to connect the top positioner 168 to thebottom section 160 to retain the batteries 138 as a unit with the bottomsection 160. The battery support structure 158 also has a top section172 that is connected to the two transverse sections 76, 166. The topsection 172 also functions as a support frame for the seat 19 of thecar.

Referring to FIGS. 8, 8A and 8B, the accelerator pedal assembly 152comprises a frame 174, a pedal 176 pivotably mounted to the frame 174,an actuator rod 178, a microswitch 180, and a non-contacting positionsensor 182. The frame 174 is directly fixedly attached to the chassis 12between transverse section 76 and a front transverse section 184. Apivot 186 is provided to pivotably connect the pedal 176 to the front ofthe frame 174. The pedal 176 has a foot contact section 188 and acantilevered connection section 190. The actuator rod 178 has a firstend 192 pivotably connected to the connection section 190 and a secondend 194 located inside an environmental protection enclosure 196 whichis fixedly attached to the frame 174. A spring 198 is used to bias thepedal 176 and actuator rod 178 at a home position. The pedal 176 can bepressed by a driver's foot to move the actuator rod 178 from its homeposition (seen in FIG. 8B), the spring 198 being compressed in theprocess. The second end 194 of the rod 178 extends into the enclosure196 and has a ferromagnetic metal section 200 with an attachment collar202. The ferromagnetic metal section 200 is suitably sized and shaped tobe moved in and out of a receiving area 204 in the sensor 182.

The microswitch 180 is electrically connected to the speed controller140 and is fixedly stationarily attached to the enclosure 196. Themicroswitch 180 has a contact arm 206 that is adapted to be contactedand moved by the attachment collar 202. FIG. 8B shows the rod 178 at itshome position. In this home position, the collar 202 contacts the arm206 of the microswitch 180. As seen in FIG. 8A, when the pedal 176 isdepressed, the rod 178 moves further into the enclosure 196. This movesthe rod 178 to thereby move the collar 202 out of contact with the arm206. This changes the setting of the microswitch 180. Thus, themicroswitch 180 is used to signal when the foot pedal 176 is initiallydepressed from its home position by the driver or when a driver takeshis or her foot off of the pedal, the spring 198 biasing the rod 178back to its home position.

The position sensor 182, in the embodiment shown, is a non-contactinginduction sensor that uses a linear voltage displacement transducer. Inalternate embodiments, other types of sensors could be used includingresistive, capacitive, hall effect transducers, digital, etc. The sensor182 is electrically connected to the speed controller 140 and is adaptedto send an electrical signal to the speed controller 140 correspondingto the position of the ferromagnetic section 200 relative to the sensor182. The receiving area 204 is adapted to receive the ferromagneticsection 200 therein. As seen in FIG. 8A, when the pedal 176 isdepressed, the leading end 208 of the section 200 is projected into area204. This causes the sensor 182 to generate and send an electricalsignal to the speed controller 140. The strength of the signal increasesthe further or deeper that the section 200 projects into area 204. Whenthe pedal 176 is fully depressed, the section 200 extends fully into thereceiving area 204. The speed controller 140 sends electricity to theelectric motor 16 based upon the strength of the signal received fromthe sensor 182. The stronger the signal, the more electricity that issent to the electric motor 16, and the faster the electric motoroperates. Because the section 200 does not make physical contact withthe sensor 182, the sensor 182 will not be subjected to physical wearfrom repeated movement of the actuator rod 178 into and out of thesensor 182. A cover 197 is provided for the enclosure 196 to keep dirtand debris out of the enclosure 196.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown an exploded view of anaccelerator pedal assembly 210 used for the internal combustion enginepowered car. The assembly 210 has a frame 212, a pedal 214, an actuatorrod 216, a microswitch 218, and a cable connection 220. The frame 212 isadapted to be connected between the two transverse sections 76 and 184the same as the frame 174 of assembly 152 would be. The assembly 210 issubstantially similar to the assembly 152 shown in FIG. 8. However, thesecond end of the rod 216 is connected to the cable connection 220 tomove the cable connection 220 when the pedal 214 is depressed andreleased. The mechanical cable 222 has an inner cable 224 movablypositioned within an outer sheath 226. The sheath 226 is connected tothe enclosure 213 and the inner cable 224 extends into the enclosure 213and is connected to actuator 228 at area 230. Actuator 228 is pivotablyconnected to the frame 212 by pivot pin 232 that is stationarilyconnected to the frame 212. The actuator 228 has a pin section 234operably connected to actuator rod connector 236. The actuator rodconnector 236 is connected to the second end of the actuator rod 216. Acollar 238 is provided to actuate the microswitch 218. Movement of theactuator rod 216 to and from its home position actuates and deactuatesthe microswitch 218. The microswitch 218 is electrically connected tothe starter/generator 32 by a relay (not shown) to activate thestarter/generator 32 when the pedal 214 is depressed and the engine isnot running. The other end of the cable 222 is connected to the throttlecontrol system of the engine 14 to control the speed of the car. Inalternate embodiments, other types of accelerator pedal assemblies couldbe provided. Because the frames 174 and 212 of the two accelerator pedalassemblies 210 and 152 are substantially the same and, are designed toconnect to the chassis 12 in the same manner, the assemblies 152 and 210can be pre-assembled as modular units. An assembly line worker canselect either one of the assemblies based upon whether the car isinternal combustion engine powered or electric powered, and connect theselected assembly to the chassis. This modular interchangeability forassembly of different types of cars (internal combustion engine poweredor electric powered) allows the assembly line to be much more responsiveto consumer orders and demand by being readily capable of assemblingeither type of car.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 9A-9C, the steering system 22 will bedescribed. The steering system 22 is the same for both the internalcombustion engine powered cars and the electric powered cars. This useof a single type of steering system for both types of cars furtherenhances assembly and reduces inventory, assembly, and manufacturingcosts. The steering system 22 includes a steering wheel 250, a rack andpinion assembly 252, an idler lever 254, tie rods 256, spindleassemblies 258, and a front axle 260. The front axle 260 has springs andshock absorbers (not shown) that connect the front axle to the front ofthe chassis 12. The spindle assemblies 258 are pivotably connected toopposite ends of the front axle 260. The front wheels 20 are connectedto the spindle assemblies 258. The tie rods 256 connect the spindleassemblies 258 to the bottom end 262 of the idler lever 254. The rackand pinion assembly 252 has a housing 264, a steering shaft assembly266, and a driven rack assembly 268. The steering shaft assembly 266 hasan outer steering column assembly 270 stationarily connected to thehousing 264, and a steering shaft assembly 272 located, at leastpartially, in the steering column assembly 270. A first end of the shaftassembly 272 is connected to the steering wheel 250. An opposite secondend 271 of the shaft assembly 272 has a pinion gear section 274connected by a coupling 276 to a main shaft 278. The second end 271 islocated inside the housing 264. The housing 264 is stationarilyconnected to the chassis 12 at area 77 (see FIG. 2). The driven rackassembly 268 has a rack portion 280 operably connected to the pinion 274in the housing 264, and a pivot end 282 pivotably connected to a top end284 of the idler lever 254 and pivotably connected to rack portion 280.A flexible protective cover 286 is provided between the housing 264 anddriven rack assembly 268 to protect the assembly from contamination,such as from dirt. A second cover 288 is provided at the opposite end ofthe housing 264. When the shaft 278 is rotated as indicated by arrow Ain FIG. 9C, the driven rack assembly 268 moves as indicated by arrow Bin FIG. 9B. The driven rack assembly 268 is sufficiently compensating toallow the pivot end 282 to move slightly up and down, as indicated byarrow C in FIG. 9B. This compensates for the slightly arced path,indicated by arrow D in FIG. 9B, of the top end 284 of the idler lever254. The driven rack assembly 268 is adjustably mounted in the housing264 by a sleeve bearing 290 and a rack guide 292 located against theback of the rack portion 280. A plate 296 attached to the housing 264keeps the spring 294 biased against the rack guide 292. This bias by thespring 294 provides the required force to maintain proper gear meshbetween the rack section 280 and pinion gear 274 while compensating formanufacturing tolerances and wear. In alternate embodiments, other typesof adjusting connections could be provided.

The idler lever 254 has a center section with a pivot 298. The housing264 has an integral idler lever mount 300. The center section 298 ispivotably located in the lever mount 300 with a flanged bearing 302.Thus, when the driven rack assembly 268 moves the top end 284 of theidler lever 254 as indicated by arrow D, the bottom end 262 of the idlerlever 254 will move as indicated by arrow D'. One of the unique featuresof the steering system 22 is that, unlike prior steering assemblies thatuse a housing for the rack and pinion assembly and a separate mount forthe idler lever, the idler lever mount 300 is integral with the housing264. This makes the steering system easier to assemble and install inthe car. In addition, the steering system has a more responsive andtighter feel to the driver. The quality of the steering system is alsoimproved. The steering assembly described above can be preassembled andthen merely attached to the chassis 12 as a modular unit. This canobviously reduce manufacturing complexity. In alternate embodiments,other types of steering systems could be provided.

The use of a single type of chassis 12 for both internal combustionengine powered and electric powered cars provides advantages andbenefits over the prior manufacturing technique of using a separate anddifferent chassis for each of the two types of cars. One advantage isthat a single assembly line can be used to simultaneously manufactureboth types of cars. Assemblers can select a type of drive system from agroup of drive system types consisting of electric motor drive systemsand internal combustion engine drive systems and, connect the selectedtype of drive system to the chassis in its drive system receiving area.This type of assembly method can reduce inventory, reduce assembly time,and improve assembly plant efficiency. The chassis 12 has been suitablyconstructed to alternatively receive either the electric motor drivesystem or the internal combustion drive system substantially entirely inthe drive system receiving area 304. For the electric motor drivesystem, this includes positioning the set of batteries 138, electricmotor 16, and rear axle assembly 142 substantially entirely in the drivesystem receiving area 304. For the internal combustion engine drivesystem, this includes positioning the internal combustion engine drivesystem substantially entirely in the drive system receiving area 304.Referring also to FIG. 10, a flow chart of such an assembly line methodis shown. The flow chart is not a complete flow chart of all the stepsinvolved in assembling golf cars, but is intended to highlight novelfeatures. A chassis is provided as indicated by box 306 that is adaptedto have either an electric motor drive system or an internal combustionengine drive system connected to it. A type of drive system is selectedas indicated by box 308. The selected drive system is then connected tothe chassis as indicated by box 310. A type of accelerator pedalassembly is selected based upon whether the drive system is electric orinternal combustion engine powered as indicated by box 312. The selectedaccelerator pedal assembly is then connected to the chassis as indicatedby box 314. The steering system is connected to the chassis as indicatedby box 316. The body parts are connected to the chassis as indicated bybox 318. Before the body parts are connected to the chassis, body partscan be selected based upon style and type. Two styles of golf cars areproduced; a fleet car style and a personal car style. Fleet car style isa style most commonly purchased and used for fleets of cars such as ongolf courses; the cars being rented to golfers. The fleet car style isshown in FIG. 1. The personal car style is a style of car purchased andused by individuals that includes enhanced features such as headlights,tail lights, more stylish body part shapes, etc. A type of personal carstyle can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 345,717 which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety. A type of fleet car style canalso be seen in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 345,717 which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

Golf cars are also produced with different types of body part types;namely, metal body parts and plastic or polymer body parts. In the past,golf car chassis were provided to have metal body parts connected to itor plastic body parts connected to it, but not alternatively. In otherwords, cars with metal body parts had one type of chassis and cars withplastic body parts had a different type of chassis.

The chassis and body parts types for the cars of the present inventionhave been designed such that the chassis 12 can have either metal bodyparts or non-metal body parts connected to it. Therefore, in the methodof FIG. 10, a type of style of body parts is selected from a group ofbody part styles consisting of a fleet car style and a personal carstyle, (see box 320), a type of body part type is selected from a groupof body part types consisting of metal body parts and non-metal bodyparts (see box 322), and the selected body parts are connected to thechassis as indicated by box 318. Of course, in alternate embodiments,the method described with reference to FIG. 10 could be modified orchanged. As noted above, one of the features achieved with the assemblyof the cars described above is enhanced adaptability of a singleassembly line to produce different types and styles of cars. This isaccomplished by making the different types and styles of differentcomponents interchangeable. This provides for simultaneous assembly ofall permutations of the golf cars on one assembly line. It also insuresa steady working assembly line regardless of the varying consumer demandof the different types and styles of the golf cars.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is onlyillustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modificationscan be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from theinvention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace allsuch alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of assembling a golf car comprisingsteps of:providing a golf car chassis having a general block shapeddrive system receiving area; selecting a type of drive system from agroup of drive system types consisting of an electric motor drive systemand an internal combustion engine drive system; and connecting a drivesystem of the selected type of drive system to the chassis in the drivesystem receiving area.
 2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the electricmotor drive system includes a set of drive batteries, an electric motor,and a rear axle assembly connected to the electric motor, the step ofconnecting the electric motor drive system includes positioning the setof drive batteries, electric motor and rear axle assembly substantiallyentirely in the drive system receiving area.
 3. A method as in claim 1wherein the internal combustion engine drive system includes an internalcombustion engine, and a rear axle assembly connected to the engine, thestep of connecting the internal combustion engine drive system includespositioning the internal combustion engine and rear axle assemblysubstantially entirely in the drive system receiving area.
 4. A methodas in claim 1 further comprising:selecting a type of body parts from agroup of body part types consisting of metal body parts and non-metalbody parts; and connecting body parts of the selected type of body partsto the chassis.
 5. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:selecting atype of style of body parts from a group of body part styles consistingof a fleet car style and a personal car style; and connecting body partsof the selected type of style of body parts to the chassis.
 6. A methodof assembling a golf car comprising steps of:providing a golf carchassis; selecting a type of drive system from a group of drive systems,the group of drive systems comprising an electric motor type and aninternal combustion engine type; connecting a drive system of theselected type of drive system to the chassis; selecting a style of bodyfrom a group of body styles, the group of body styles including a fleetcar style and a personal car style; and connecting body parts of theselected style of body to the chassis.
 7. A method of assembling a landvehicle comprising steps of:providing a vehicle chassis; selecting adrive system from a group of drive systems, the group of drive systemscomprising an electric motor type and an internal combustion enginetype; and connecting the selected drive system to the chassis.